Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to compositions containing multivalent multispecific complexes and to compositions containing multivalent and monovalent multispecific complexes having scaffolds, such as antibodies, that support such binding functionalities. The invention also generally relates to methods of making these multispecific compositions and the diagnostic and therapeutic uses of these compositions.
Background
In recent years, drug discovery efforts have primarily focused on identifying agents that modulate preselected individual targets. However, agents directed to individual targets frequently show limited efficacies and poor safety and resistance profiles, as a result of the robustness, redundancy, crosstalk, compensatory signaling networks and anti- or counter-signaling network activities associated with the therapeutic target. Consequently, drug discovery efforts have increasingly been directed toward the discovery of new multicomponent based therapies.
The development of bispecific or multi-specific molecules that target two or more targets simultaneously offers a novel and promising solution for discovering new systems-oriented multitargeted agents demonstrating improved efficacy and pharmacological properties over conventional monotherapies. Numerous attempts to develop multispecific molecules have been based on immunoglobulin-like domains or subdomains. For example, traditionally, bispecific antibodies have been prepared by chemically linking two different monoclonal antibodies or by fusing two hybridoma cell lines to produce a hybrid-hybridoma. Other immunoglobulin-like domain-based technologies that have created multispecific, and/or multivalent molecules include dAbs, diabodies, TandAbs, nanobodies, BiTEs, SMIPs, DNLs, Affibodies, Fynomers, Kunitz Domains, Albu-dabs, DARTs, DVD-IG, Covx-bodies, peptibodies, scFv-Igs, SVD-Igs, dAb-Igs, Knobs-in-Holes, DuoBodies™ and triomAbs. Although each of these molecules may bind one or more targets, they each present challenges with respect to retention of typical Ig function (e.g., half-life, effector function), production (e.g., yield, purity), valency, simultaneous target recognition, and bioavailability.
Other attempts to generate multispecific and multivalent molecules have relied on alternative scaffolds, based VASP polypeptides, Avian pancreatic polypeptide (aPP), Tetranectin (based on CTLD3), Affilin (based on γB-crystallin/ubiquitin), knottins, SH3 domains, PDZ domains, Tendamistat, Transferrin, an ankyrin consensus repeat domain (e.g., DARPins), lipocalin protein folds (e.g., Duocalins), fibronectin (see for example, US Application Publ. Nos. 2003/0170753 and 20090155275 which are herein incorporated by reference), a domain of protein A (e.g., Affibodies), thioredoxin. Other attempts have relied on alternative scaffolds fuse or associate polypeptides of interest with albumin (e.g., ALBUdAb (Domantis/GSK) and ALB-Kunitz (Dyax)), unstructured repeat sequences of 3 or 6 amino acids (e.g., PASylation® technology and XTEN® technology), and sequences containing elastin-like repeat domains (see for example, U.S. Pat. Appl. No. 61/442,106, which is herein incorporated by reference). To date, these technologies have demonstrated limited clinical potential as robust platforms for developing diverse multispecific and multivalent therapeutic compositions.
The genetic complexity of most human malignancies and other disorders strongly suggest that interfering with a single target or pathway associated with these disorders is unlikely to produce optimal or sustained therapeutic benefit. There is, therefore, a great need for developing multispecific and multivalent therapeutics such as multispecific antibodies that are capable of interfering with the activity of multiple targets and/or signaling mechanisms in or to optimize the therapeutic benefits of treatments directed towards these disorders.